


Not Your Stereotypical Romance

by nightflower_panda



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cliche, Crack, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Humor, M/M, Tropes, Tsunderes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25746610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightflower_panda/pseuds/nightflower_panda
Summary: Gladio doesn't understand why certain tropes are so popular.Noctis unintentionally helps him.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 12
Kudos: 40





	Not Your Stereotypical Romance

Noctis looks up at the sound of Gladio's book snapping shut, a little surprised at the way it cuts through the silence in the hotel room.

"Something wrong?" he hazards from where he's sprawled out on the bed, phone in hand and King's Knight running.

"Yeah, another bust..." Gladio deposits the book on the side table with a huff. "Why's it so hard to find a good romance novel nowadays?"

"Was there ever such a thing as a good romance novel?" Noctis quips, eyes back down on his screen now he's established the problem is nothing serious.

Gladio ignores the comment, taking the chance to vent instead.

"Is being jealous a sign of affection? And is being over possessive sexy? I mean, I get these things are usually projecting people's fantasies, so do women secretly want a guy who gets all aggressive cos of his own distrust and insecurity issues?" 

Gladio is sitting up cross-legged on his bed, looking far too annoyed for the subject he's criticising. Noctis can't help but find it amusing.

"I think you're reading too much into it," Noctis puts out helpfully.

"No, cos this shit is everywhere. It's not just a one time thing. Look," Gladio stands up and marches across to Noctis, pulling him up by the arm. "I want you to imagine we're in a relationship."

Noctis blinks up at the other man. 

"Er... OK?" 

"Right, now imagine we've just done something really romantic together - we've gone out somewhere you love and had a real good time," Gladio continues, still holding Noctis loosely by the wrist.

Noctis closes his eyes, brow lightly furrowed. 

"...Fishing?"

"Sure, then--" 

"And we caught a huge one together?" 

"Yeah, the biggest. OK, so--" 

"And we're both super excited, we're like _hugging_ and _celebrating_..." Noctis trails off as he imagines the scene - not unlike something which has actually happened recently, in fact.

"Exactly," Gladio squeezes the top of Noctis' arm with his other hand, trying to get him back on track, "we're hugging and making out and having a completely amazing time, right? Both happy as fuck, right?" 

Eyes still closed, Noctis' mouth twists slightly into the shapes he'd make if he was kissing someone... Kissing Gladio. OK. That part hadn't happened but it's er... not too bad. He guesses?

"R- right," Noctis frowns a little harder. "And then?" 

"Right! So we're all set up with no problems, then let's say er... Prompto! You want Prom to take a photo of the fish we just caught. That makes sense, right?" 

"Yeah..." Noctis smiles, "cos we'd want to remember the great time we had together."

"Except no!" Gladio shakes Noctis for emphasis, making him finally open his eyes again. "Because then I get jealous, blaming you for having a crush on Prom, because why're you trying to get him involved in our special moment together?" 

"I'm not!" Noctis protests, swept up in their roleplay. "I don't have a crush on Prom!" 

"Yeah? So why're you always hanging out together? Why d'you let him touch you so easily?" Gladio growls, jerking his head up as he speaks.

"He's my friend! We're just friends!" Noctis insists, reaching up to tug on Gladio's open shirt. 

"I won't believe it," Gladio looks away, releasing the other man from his grip. "It doesn't matter how much fun we have together, or how happy we are, I'm gonna be a jealous jerk about it anyway. How's that make you feel?"

"I..."

"Is it attractive that I don't trust you?" Gladio stares Noctis in the eyes, face deathly serious. "Did it make your heart skip?" 

"...It made my heart skip," Noctis breathes, feeling a little shaken.

"What??" 

"I mean, you're being totally irrational - you're not usually like that. And it's because of me?" Noctis bites at his lower lip. "I... guess it's kinda like a round about compliment?" 

"NO, Noct!!" Gladio runs a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Wait, we're missing the aggressive part. Come here, go stand against the wall," he points at the empty space beside the bed.

"Um... all right?" Noctis shuffles across to awkwardly do as he's told, tossing his phone onto the mattress as he goes past, eyes flitting suspiciously at his Shield.

"Great, stand there with your back to the wall, cos this is another trope I've seen far too much of lately," Gladio rolls his shoulders then cracks his knuckles.

Noctis blinks back at him, confused.

"We're in the middle of fighting, OK? I'm saying all this shit about you and you're--" Gladio waves one hand in the air, "You're annoyed. You're arguing back. But then!" Gladio crosses the room in two large strides, violently slamming one forearm onto the wall beside Noctis' head, and leaning forwards so their noses almost touch.

Noctis feels his breath hitch.

"I do _this_ to you, and instead of being mad you're all of a sudden a puddle of goo, nodding along to anything I say and _blushing,_ because I'm too fucking sexy right now." Gladio rumbles the last part directly into Noctis' ear, voice deep and barely above a whisper.

"Stupid, right?" Gladio scoffs, leaning back slowly to take in Noctis' reaction.

It really was stupid - because shows of aggression shouldn't lead to intimacy, and it was completely unrealistic for the male lead to find his partner's submissive weakness so attractive. Especially if she'd usually been a feisty character up until then.

Noctis stays in place, back pressed against the wall and lips lightly parted. His eyes are glazed over and... What? His cheeks are flushed pink?

Gladio blinks at the sight.

His heart clenches.

Oh.

"...I-- idiot," Noctis looks away, bringing up one hand to cover his mouth with his knuckles. His cheeks are most definitely pink with embarrassment.

Gladio feels like he wants to mess Noctis up even further.

Wait. What?

"Who said that _wouldn't_ be fucking sexy?" Noctis mumbles against his fist.

Before Gladio knows what he's doing, he's reaching up to pull that hand away, getting a clearer view of the mouth Noctis is trying to hide.

He swallows.

"OK... Maybe this last one isn't so bad," Gladio admits, leaning forwards once more so their foreheads touch, trying to steady himself from these unexpected emotions. "But I still stand by possessiveness being an unattractive quality."

"...You're my Shield," Noctis breathes against his lips.

Gladio freezes.

"And you _belong_ to me. You're _mine."_

A tingling shiver runs down Gladio's spine and he chokes back a gasp.

"And you're going to kiss me. _Now,"_ Noctis murmurs, half-lidded with desire.

Gladio does as he's told. 

Well, fuck. This isn't how the conversation was meant to have ended.

But...

Gladio deepens the kiss, using his tongue to make Noctis moan.

OK.

Maybe those novels aren't so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Pfft... I know I have other fic I'm meant to be working on, but this kind of just happened so I thought I'd share. 🤣
> 
> Lighthearted nonsense! Lol. 💕


End file.
